[hr]
[center][h1][b]Turn One:[/b][/h1][/center]
[hr]

[img]https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/505567260824567808/617566673540612097/TakanisMapPolitical.png[/img]

[center][h1][b]Shadows Upon the Coast[/b][/h1][/center]

[hr]

The roaring waves of the Ebon Sea frothed and foamed around his ship, churning and crashing against it with primal hate, as Ardusin El-Shadaran, Lord of Tel-Makad, stood upon the prow of his sleek black-hulled vessel. With a keen eye he watched as the fog of midnight parted before him to reveal steaming shores of Surabhumi, lightless, and dark as pitch against the marauding corsairs of the Sanghar. All around him his men toiled in silent and noiseless labour, working in concord with the dense mists to muffle their advance, with vaporous gossamer ribbons winding around them like a boil of fresh hatched sea snakes. El-Shadaran watched them in haughty disinterest with his one good eye, the other having been long lost in an accident whilst overseeing his ancestral shipwrights, and replaced with a smooth scintillating opal. Such was the manner of Ardusin, for he would never allow injury get in the way of personal vanity.

“How long until we cast board upon the shore?” he asked, his handsome face as indifferent as ever in the light of the stars.

“Not long now my lord..” came the reply from the ship’s captain, who stood attentively at his side. “We must still be cautious however. Surabhuma watchwomen are everywhere, and Sangharan corsairs swarm these waters still in spite of the Armistice…”

“The Armistice. What utter nonsense!” Ardusin snorted derisively, drawing his white and purple robes about him against the cold of the night. “Both sides conjure up a pretense of legitimate settlement, and the Dakathan Lords do not press further on naval works so as not to invalidate the false peace. Meanwhile my shipwrights suffer from idle hands and financial losses, in order to satisfy the egos of weaker Sanghar. They would do well not to cast me aside, especially after this night’s work.”

The captain said nothing. There was nothing he could say, Lord El-Shadaran took a dim view upon leigemen criticising their master, and of criticism in general. It would do him no good to mention the Armistice was not about the silently fuming lord that stood before him, nor the fact that malpractice had been the cause of Tel-Makad’s silent shipwrights. El-Shadaran was a difficult Sanghar to manage even at the best of times, but since the sudden strain on his finances, he’d been even more volatile than usual.

Crags and jagged pillars of stone passed them like wraiths in the night as they made steady speed towards the shoreline. As a final gust of wind propelled them onwards, sinewy armed Sanghar mariners pulled in the triangular sail and readied the oars. They worked them with strong steady strokes as they made their way towards the chosen anchorage, hidden amidst the headwaters of one of Surabhumi’s innumerable rivers.

Slinking into the sea, one of these rivers spilled its lifeblood into the ocean not far ahead of them, deep enough for a dragonship to make good headway, or a smugglers vessel to await the coming of it co-conspirators. In truth that was not far off from what they were, for El-Shadaran had come to do nothing less than breach “the great ban”, and treat with his nations ancestral enemy, offering a deal that he knew would be irresistible to private citizens of the Surabhi successor empire.

With the crash of a cast anchor, and the stealthy flickering of signal lanterns, El-Shadaran settled himself down on a divan laden with silken cushions and tiger skins, and awaited the arrival of his counterpart. With a snap of his fingers, his sullen Tu’mong yazhat scurried across the ship, collecting parchment and scrolls of animal skin. Returning, they scattered them upon a folding desk of geometrically carven ebony and mother of pearl, revealing designs, blueprints and information of shipcraft, inked upon crisp parchments of komodo skin. Beyond this tumult of activity, giant mariners heaved a gangplank down upon the loamy soil of the riverside, retinues tramping down it in orderly lines as they fanned out around the vessel.

After many hushed minutes, the keen eyes of the ships lookouts caught the glow of bobbing lanterns, making their way slowly through the lush tropic foliage of the mainland. Crossbowmen readied their bows alertly, and tombaks were thrust forward by the soldiery, but there was little need for violence. The figures that emerged from the sepulcral twilight were of those familiar to the ambitious Asurbaalite, and he signalled to his men to lower their arms.

At last, after long preparation, he and his mutual collaborator would meet face to face.

[hr]

Kadusiri trudged through the dense growth of the coast, the vast swathes of mangrove trees and other saltwater plants blocking any long visibility through the dense growth. Sweat streaked her skin, and the water was even beginning to seep through the tar lined boots she wore. She traveled light, only a sword and a small handful of guards to accompany her. She had browbeaten other members of her dhutris to throw a lavish feast, and she knew the myriad spies of the central council would have their hands full keeping a watch out for any conspiracy brewing amidst such a gathering. She had slipped from the party, hopefully unnoticed, and had begun to weave her way along the winding and oft unused paths to the shore. Neither she nor her guards wore armor, and they carried no torches, making their way by moonlight. 

Silence seemed to stretch on ad infinitum, the quiet splash of plain, unormanted boots in the swampy waters of the coast the only accompaniment to their illicit excursion. At last, though, one of the guards broke the silence, readjusting the axe that hung from her belt as she did so. 

“My Mahil, forgive my questioning - but are you sure this is wise? You know the penalty for such conspiracy is death. You gamble not only your future, but the future of our faith should your plans fail in any way. We could still turn now, alert the guards of the Samraajni, we could seize these plans and this Sanghar and still elevate you and yours with their new favor.” The woman shifted uncomfortably, as if her own hesitance might count some small treason within her treason. 

Kadusiri turned sharply, bringing her small group to an abrupt halt as she bore down on the guard who had dared doubt her. “Because, my dear stupid Eviranu, the council are a cabal of vile apostates who stripped the land and power from the rightful wielders of such. They spread lies, deceit, and falsehood throughout the land, and they seed doubt in the hearts of those who would be righteous. I do not seek their favor, as I seek their destruction. When I take our newfound advantage with this deal, I will ensure the overthrow of the fools who have lead us astray. Does that satisfy you, or would you side with our would be masters in Rhaputira?”

Eviranu’s eyes were wide, and she hastily shook her head, taking a step back as she raised her hands defensively. “No, my Mahil, I do not! I merely wished the best for you and ourselves.”

Eyeing her with an intense, scrutinizing gaze, Kadusiri eventually snorted dismissively and turned back in her initial direction. “Come, they have surely arrived by now.”

The rest of their trip passed uneventfully, and at last they laid eyes on the Sanghar vessel. Immediately, Kadusiri’s eyes widened, and she growled under her breath, “I told the fool to come here quietly and unobtrusively, not… this.” 

She gritted her teeth, moving into the open to greet her co-conspirator. “I told you to arrive quietly, and in disguise. And yet here you are in gaudy excess. You fool, do you realize what you have risked with this display?”

Ardusin raised the eyebrow of his yet living eye as he peered at Kadusiri, nonplussed. “Risked? I have risked nothing at all my good confederate. I chose a night when the moon was well in its waning, there was heavy fog to mask my landing, and the final part of the journey was achieved through silent rowers. Just because you desired to garb me in stinking beggar’s rags, and wade through the muck like a commoner, does not mean that I did not make my own entirely adequate preparations.” 

Turning his back on his co-conspirator, he eyed his charts and diagrams a final time before nodding to his slaves to gather them up. ‘Always so blasted dull minded’ he grumbled to himself, chapping his hands as muscled Sanghar porters emerged with his private litter. `No matter if they’re heretics, Surabhi have no mind for atmosphere, aesthetics or mood. We’re supposed to be embarking on a grand new international enterprise, and they want to wriggle around in the filth. Typical...’

“Douse those lights Karamand,” he commanded imperiously as he pointed to the shuttered lanterns, and settled himself into the litter, despite the flustered anger that began erupting from Eviranu. “I want this ship well hidden in one of the river’s tributaries,” he demanded. “Ekuni should know which one. I didn’t pay those spies handsomely for inaccurate charts.”

Closing the door to his private compartment, he watched as his slaves took position at each pole of the carven sandalwood box, his retinue locking into place behind and in front of him, to form a two-breasted marching line. 

“Now Kadusiri,” he said, leaning out a shuttered window and clenching the side as the litter was heaved upon the shoulders of his porters. “I trust you have arranged a suitably accommodating and private manse for us to finalise our agreement in? If you expect me to sit in the mud with you, and pick my bum whilst your nations wretched mosquitoes give me marsh fever, you’re sadly mistaken. There are afterall, plenty of others just as eager to get their hands on my secrets as you are. So quit huffing, hurry up, and lead on.”

Kadusiri stared aghast at the Sangharan on his palanquin, stretched leisurely on his silken cushions. She looked to his entourage, servants and scribes, grandeur entirely unsuited to the task at hand. Her heart fluttered in her chest, clearly she had underestimated the sheer flamboyance and vanity of this shipwright, or her warnings of the pervasiveness of the spies of Rhaputira had not been emphatic enough. With a helpless look back at her own considerably smaller entourage, their muted, unobtrusive garb and the lack of any noisy implements that might alert passers-by, she sighed. She would have to think fast.

“Ah… yes.” She murmured to him, turning away and making a sign to ward off bad luck that this Sangharan could assuredly bring. “We shall be conducting our business in a farmhouse, away from prying eyes. Please, if you will, follow me - and for the love of Ishareth, be quiet.”

She beckoned to his entourage, her own soldiers falling in behind her as she picked her way back through the muck and mangroves. She hid her mirth poorly as several branches and muddy vines scraped and soiled the ornate decor of the exterior of his palanquin, but let no protests dissuade her. As they neared the first road, she turned away from whence she had come, setting off in an easterly direction. 

[hr]

They marched for miles along the road, Kadusiri cringing all the while at the sharp sound of the Sangharan boots on the paving stones. Her own boots were near silent, the cured pitch soaked soles, worn with the intent of remaining in the mangrove swamps, soft and pliable. She cursed herself for her foolishness - the idiot should have been better appraised of the pervasive surveillance she and her fellows lived under the watchful eye of the council and governors searching for any trace of ‘treason’. She would have them all hanged, and then this pompous dullard slung away, far away. 

At last, however, the silhouette of a farmhouse loomed in the distance, and their party drew close. Kadusiri lifted a hand, calling for the Sangharans to halt, as she and her compatriots crept forward. For a moment, she considered simply kicking the door in and executing all who resided therein - but she did not need the murder of an entire farmstead coupled with the same time she would have been noticed absent the proceedings at the party. There was little need to provide the spies and bureaucrats reason to investigate her dhutris - and her. So instead she knocked softly at the door, then once more, more audibly. 

A small delay ensued before a wary face emerged, the glint of a falx evident in the hands of the farmer. “Yes?” She asked, slowly lowering the weapon. “What is it that you want at this hour?”

Kadusiri smiled, putting on the best soothing voice she could manage. “My humble apologies, my friend - I was traveling on urgent business from Rhaputira, and I must rent out your building for the night. I’m afraid you can’t stay the night as well - crucial documents, far above the head of almost any in this province. I am of course, more than happy to compensate you for the inconvenience.” She hefted a sack, bulging with silver coins, more money than many in this province would see in an entire year, she knew. “This is the most I have been cleared to provide, but it is a debt the realm gladly pays to ensure the safety of my mission.”

The farmer’s eyes were wide now, and Kadusiri could sense the presence of many more behind the door, children and adults alike. After a tense silence, during which muted whispering behind the door could be heard, the woman peering out at her nodded tersely. “Give us a moment, please. We will be back tomorrow morning by dawn, the fields need weeding.”

A smile broke across Kadusiri’s lips and she nodded to the woman. “Of course, my friend. Please, we will wait.” The door shut softly, and she turned around, whispering urgently to one of her cohort, “Alert the Sangharans to move off the road, out of sight, until my signal. They cannot be seen.”

At her words, the guard nodded, taking off at a brisk jog towards the Sangharans to inform them. 

[hr]

Examining the adobe walled interior of the massive square building, his boots scuffing the brick beneath his feet, Ardusin sniffed in distaste.

“Very... rustic…” he said at last, after a long silence. “I suppose it will have to do. Very well then…”

Once they’d managed to escape the sucking quagmire of the coastline, and the Surabhi had returned from newly established safehouse, Ardusin had continued the journey to the farmstead on foot. His palanquin had been too obvious to travel upon open roads, and had been quickly hidden amongst the forest to keep attention to a minimum. Doubtless Kadusiri would have complained about even that, but Ardusin had scant care for his companions paranoia, the Surabhumi’s matriarchs only had so many eyes between them.

With a nod of the Asurbaal’s head his Sangharan retainers tramped inside, quickly darting into niches within the partitionless interior to keep a tigerish watch for potential intruders. Kicking the last of the road’s muck from his silken slippers in great earthen clots, he took the box of parchment from his servants with both hands, and turned and strode to the firepit. The flames of the evening hearth smouldered quietly away as Ardusin took a seat heavily in one of the solidly built chairs, shifting his adornments of rich but off-colour Sanghar purple into a more comfortable position. Pulling a bronze key from around his neck, he unlocked the chest and began to spread scrolls of parchment across a table next to him, murmuring quietly as he began to lay a kaleidoscope of schematics and designs out in neat order.

“Now, we have time until dawn to look through these technical schematics together. I trust they’ll be satisfactory to you, at least for the purveyance of my first half of the bargain.” he remarked breezily, throwing a log of hardwood on the embers of the fire. “I trust you in turn have brought the documents necessary for the acquisition and transportation of the Surabhumi munitions and materials I requested?” he asked, his opal eye fixing his companion with a blank expectant stare. 

When she nodded, he continued, smoothing out the curling parchment as he turned back to his work. “Once that first load has been delivered properly to Tel-Makad, I shall naturally deliver the final components for the construction of Republican class vessels,” he stated in a matter-of-fact tone. “Now, I believe that you should have also brought examples of the new equipment designed by your forgeworks? These cracked and stained papers are the product of a thousand years of skill in boatcraft. Even with half of them you’d learn more than the Surabhuma have in centuries. I need to be assured of your honest intentions, and the quality of your resources.”

He gestured with a hand of ornate gold nails, signalling for whomever was carrying the examples to step forward. “Now, if you please...”

Kadusiri frowned as she relaxed in the sturdy wooden chairs arrayed throughout the room. “This is about as grand as it gets on the coast, my friend. Your compatriots have savaged the coastline for generations, and scarcely anybody lives within a league of the shore. The march from our lands to the coast to meet you took well over three hours. It is not the fault of the people here that this is one of the poorest regions of our nation. I can assure you, were it grandeur you desired, Rhaputira would leave you wanting for nothing in the slightest. Nevertheless, to the business at hand - Amali, if you would please go over the documents with Veidu, I would appreciate it greatly.”

She steepled her fingers, looking her counterpart in the eyes as the seconds ticked by. “As to my end of the bargain, it is obvious that we could not mass the materials and armament here with us - such action would be far too obvious and the Council would doubtless look closer into my affairs. I have, however, brought with me a carefully selected representation of what you will find awaiting you on the docks of Lotihal, along with a manifest you may bring with you to fully account for the presence of each and every piece.”

She raised a single sheet of paper, densely coated in black ink in the Surabhi script and the Sangharan counterpart, numbers and detailed descriptions running on seemingly without end. “You may pass this to your… secretary, to peruse at your discretion. Now, Arnala, please bring our samples for this fine gentleman to examine.”

Another Surabhi moved forward, taller and broader even than the average, lugging a bulky, mishapen pack on her shoulders. With an audible sigh of relief, she lowered it to the ground, stretching out the muscles and joints that had been compressed for hours by the heavy load. 

Kadusiri smiled, bending down to open the bag, returning to the table with the first example of Surabhi craft. A [url=https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/381248465751113729/624677701659263018/SurabhiFalx.png]simple, unadorned falx[/url], of perfect size for use by the Sangharan Surabhi, or even a particularly large Sanghar. The dim light gleamed dully off of the steel, wavelike dark lines running the length of the blade, tapering with the blade itself as it curved inwards into a cruel point, one that could burst through chain armor with a piercing power unlike any other blade - the fate of many a warrior. At the other end the metal terminated in a simple, rugged handle of wood and cord, a similarly unadorned but expertly wrought piece of steel serving as the elegant but brutally effective spiked guard for the bearer’s hands. 

Kadusiri allowed Ardusin to examine the weapon for a moment before speaking. “A falx, one of our favorite weapons. Something I am sure your countrymen are very aware of. You will find we have prepared five hundred such items of similar make, including this one, which I present to you now.” She extended her arms, allowing one of his aides to take the weapon. 

“Next, we have a full suit of chain armor. Please, allow a moment to unpack it.” She bent over once more, one of her own aides moving to assist in the extraction of the armor. A great rustling and clinking filled the room as they withdrew the armor. 

Thousands upon thousands of rings of Ukkayan steel, each coated in a gleaming layer of wax, shone in the wan light of the fire. The suit was small in comparison to the Surabhi holding it, evidently designed with the intent of a Sangharan wearer. Over the chest, back, and sides of the armor’s torso lay sturdy steel plates, similarly waxed to ward off rusting. Gently, her aide placed a helmet on the table - designed in a Sangharan rather than Surabhi fashion, sockets for the colorful plumed feathers and decor worn by Sangharan officers and nobility. 

“You will be hard pressed to find better protection without resorting to thaumaturgy.” She said, a proud smile evident on her lips. “This particular suit was constructed with your own measurements in mind, and you will doubtless find it fitting. You will find a thousand such suits of armor awaiting you on the docks.”

Not allowing him to reply, she continued without breaking flow, leaning to the side as they pulled from the bag a simple ingot of Ukkayan steel, the wavy black striations running throughout its length. “And, of course, the steel for which we are so well known. Including this one, two thousand such ingots await your arrival, for use by your own smiths, for your own ends.”

Before Ardusin could even consider speaking, she still continued, raising a finger, “And, last but most certainly not least - one of the finest smiths in this province crafted a blade specifically for your own personal use, my good partner. A piece worth a small fortune. You will find no equal in the land for this blade, at least, not one that can be had without endangering your personal fortunes once again.” She lifted from the bag its final item, a [url=https://i.redd.it/fx235rxn81x11.jpg]lustrous, brilliantly polished and finished blade of Sanghar design[/url]. Bearing the hallmarks of Surabhi practical minded simplicity, the blade nevertheless was a thing of beauty to behold. An elegant curve ran through its length, the ever-present dark striations of Ukkayan steel even bolder and more vibrant than normal, a wicked keen edge evident even to the layperson. Woods imported from Sanghara specifically for this blade formed its handle, richly colored mahogany with detailed silvered inlay in various stylized depictions of Sangharan rites and rituals. The guard and pommel were likewise etched. The blade was as much a work of art as it was a masterfully created and brutally functional killing tool. Kadusiri smiled more broadly as she presented the blade and its mahogany sheath to her compatriot, allowing herself to feel pride in her peoples’ skill at crafts. 

Ardusin studied the materials with feigned indifference, but anyone could tell by the gleam in his eye that he hungered for the steel, like a starving wolf gifted a fresh carcass. Taking each piece separately in turn, he inspected them like an eagle, feeling the weight of the blades and the quality of the finish before nodding forward his personal retinue and attendants to examine them in turn. 

Continuing to half listen to Kadusiri, he pulled out a lone finely cut quartz magnifying spectacle and squinted through it at the dense bundle of Surabhi text, examining the parchment for any attempt to doublecross, undercut or legally exploit him. He saw nothing in it that spoke of some attempt of subtlety on his partners behalf. Although he was distracted, his interest was nonetheless piqued by the richly worked steel mail, and he murmured approvingly as it glimmered in red flame light of the firepit.

At last he pulled the spectacle off the bridge of his nose and turned his attention back to Kadusiri, only to be startled beyond all expectation by the fine craftsmanship she now offered him, in the script and artistic style of his own people no less.

“By Ishareth’s ivory shoulders…” he murmured, awed by the work presented to him.

Taking the blade in both hands, he ran his fingers across the work of high art, testing it like all the others in its balance, the smoothness of the blade’s surface, as well as it’s vicious sharpness. It did not disappoint. The finely engraved Sangharan mahogany felt like cool silk within his clenched hand, and he wielded it expertly in the dim midnight glow of the fire. For once, his appreciation of quality trumped his instinctual pride, and he laughed slightly as he cut the air.

‘With blades and armour like these I have a chance of seizing wealth beyond measure!’ he mused, growing ever more excited about the prospects. He checked himself quickly, but struggled to keep it contained.

‘I will need to be quiet about it though, and distribute them slowly and subtly beneath the Senate’s nose…’ he thought to himself. ‘This is more than enough to bring fresh interest to my shipwrights, to keep my station, and then some…. It might even be enough to garb and arm my own retinue with it, fancy that…’ He smiled, imagining the envy of other Sanghar lords as he rode by with his men, gilt in shining mail, as impervious to their glaring eyes as their ready swords. Reining in his enthusiasm he sheathed the blade, which absently he thought reminiscent of the Sangharan Golok. As he took his seat again, the opal glinted in myriad colours as he threw another log on the faintly burning fire. 

“It seems we each have held to the letter of our agreement,” He said, returning to his prior primness. “I trust all is well in the documentation?” 

His personal scribes, peering through the manifest one last time, turned their heads and nodded. “All is as the lady describes. We can find no fault nor deception in this and as our spies have already informed us, the ship she mentions has anchored port where she said it would be. My Lord, the deal is sound.”

Ardusins hand stroked his chin as he leaned back, letting a gleam of triumph shine through his remaining eye. “Very well then. Once I receive the first half of the shipments you promise, then I shall send all but the final document to you by a smuggling vessel known as ‘The Sapphire of Tel-Makad’. When I have received the entire shipment, I will send the final piece by secret courier, and then smuggle in shipwrights to assist you in your new operations. Lady Kaduisiri, I believe you now have the beginnings… of a navy.”

With those simple words, around the smouldering and crackling fire of a lowly estate, the fabric of an age rippled and changed. Although neither side knew it at the time, the bloody scales that had long upheld the ancient cycle of war and peace between the successors of the great serpentine empire, were thrown into disarray. No longer could Sanghara rely upon their predominance upon the ocean to guard them from harm. Their ancient mastery had come to an end. One might think that this would be an age of the Surabhi, their triumph come at last after bloody struggle with ancient adversaries… but it was not to be.

Elsewhere, others moved… and schemed. This would not be the only change in the fabric of existence…

It was only the beginning.

[hr]

[center][h1][b]National Action Results, Turn One:[/b][/h1][/center]

[center][b]Roll Results:[/b]
[b]20: [/b]Critical Success
[b]19-16:[/b] Great Success
[b]15-10: [/b]Moderate Success
[b]9-5: [/b]Neither successful or unsuccessful, little progress made
[b]4-2:[/b] Goes Poorly
[b]1: [/b]Critical Failure[/center]

[hr]

[h3][b]Arqantay: [/b][/h3]
[b]Diplomatic Actions:[/b] Diplomats leave the golden palaces of Arqantay, their move is towards the east. Trying to find backers for their new conquest enterprise among the local leaders of the desert Khanate. They offer gifts and promises of relative autonomy in exchange for the rights to exploit the mana reserves of the desert without any kind of interruptions.
[b]Military Actions: [/b] Arqantay engages in a campaign to pacify the western area of the desert of the Kipchak Khanate, beginning a slow but intrusion into khanate territory building forts in strategic areas and fortifying magical crystals deposits. 
[b]Economic  Actions:[/b] Arqantay begins to intensify its trade influence among its southern neighbors, specially among the Mysrlaka. 
[b]Research: [/b]The Arqantay natural engineer continues to invest time and effort into the construction of sanitation houses for the people of Arqantay.

[b]Arqantay Roll Results:[/b]
[b]Diplomatic Actions:[/b] 12 - Moderate Success
[b]Military Actions: [/b]19 - Great Success
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[h3][b]Arcana:[/b][/h3]
[b]Diplomatic Actions:[/b] Arcana sends an envoy to the nearby Khanate in order to negotiate an exclusive crystal trade deal to secure affordable reserves for Arcana for the foreseeable future. 
[b]Military Actions: [/b]- Lord Daemon of Arcana and his retainers lead an expeditionary force of Steel Legionnaires, Arcane Knights, Arcanan Marines, and professional sellswords on an Arcana armada that includes over a thousand Arcanan warships and several score sellsails. They seek to take Drakon unawares, conquer the city, seize its wealth, and break the back of the eastern slave trade. They have information from greedy Drakonese.
- The Consortium of Guilds, the gendarmery, the knightly orders, the Circle of Wizards, and the Navy all send their professional experts to the palace in order to begin the complete overhaul of Crown's Own. The skills and knowledge of these groups will be applied in order to formulate a plan to improve the logistical, technical, and professional capabilities of the royal army and reduce reliance on private groups and the Navy. The Artisans Guild begins training royal smiths in order to forge better equipment, the tradesmen begin educating the quartermasters, the Artificers teach the field engineers, the knights begin drilling officers and forming curriculum, and so on and so forth. It is a long-term plan intended to make the Crown's Own a formidable force once more.
[b]Economic  Actions: [/b]The Ministry of Coin begins an introductory roll-out of paper notes backed by the Arcanan Gold reserves in order to test their efficacy in the market. If results seem promising, the mint will begin printing more notes.
[b]Research:[/b] - Arcana's druids begin research into nitrating crop rotation and the formation of an agricultural institute managed by them. 
- Every professional Guild as well as the Cerulean Navy, the Confraternity of Martial Orders, the Papal Communion, and the Circle of Wizards all send representatives to meet under the royal warrant to discuss the formation of a national system of examinations beyond collegiate examinations. The diverse groups will seek to institute a curriculum that will best serve the citizenry and the realm.
- The financial, mercantile, and academic guilds meet with Regency representatives to discuss the merits of greater state control on trade. They seek a compromise between the privately owned guilds and the government that will best serve the realm as a whole. If a beneficial plan is formulated it will begin implementation. 
National Construction: - Arcana begins implementing their long-term plan to rebuild the highways that once connected the distant Outlander settlements with the Ecumenical lands. A task force of Arcane Knights, gendarme Rangers and Guardians, and sellswords ally with the Witcher Guild and the Artificer's Guild to clear the roads of vegetation and reduce the incidences of monster and outlaw attacks.

[b]Arcana Roll Results: [/b]
[b]Envoy to Khanate:[/b] 16 - Great Success
[b]Expedition to Drakon:[/b] 1 - Critical Failure
[b]Military Overhaul:[/b] 20 - Critical Success
[b]National Construction:[/b] 10 - Moderate Success
[b]Paper Currency Testing:[/b] 15 - Moderate Success
[b]Research:[/b] 12 - Moderate Success
[b]Intrigue:[/b] 4 - Goes Poorly
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[h3][b]Tushina:[/b][/h3] 
[b]Diplomatic Actions:[/b] Tushina sends a diplomatic party to Bwca in order to try and broker peace between the goblin nations... however, due to cultural differences/misunderstandings, the talks go nowhere and the war continues. 
[b]Military Actions:[/b] Even as Taler was talking in Bwca, Tushina's military caste was preparing an invasion force into Owca. Mobilization takes time after all and while they were willing to allow a diplomatic attempt to take place, they didn't have much hope of it actually being successful. Unlike prior militant action into Owca, which were raids to break up gathering warbands of hobgoblins, this one is a true invasion force. Between a desire to secure a western land trading route and to secure their western border against hobgoblin raids, they hope that a show of force will do what diplomacy has failed to achieve.
[b]Economic  Actions:[/b] The merchant caste is throwing in their support of the military caste. The promise of western land trade to them is worth investing their money into this military expedition. 
[b]Construction:[/b] The various builder castes are putting off any major projects at the moment, since they fully intend to send a workforce alongside the military expedition in order to build proper defensive works and start to establish infrastructure in Owca. 
[b]Research:[/b] Currently, the merchant caste are looking into the value of nothing in order to strengthen finance and mathematics.

[b]Tushina Roll Results:[/b]
[b]Mobilization:[/b] 12 - Moderate Success
[b]Intrigue:[/b] 4 - Goes Poorly
[b]Research:[/b] 18 - Great Success
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[h3][b]Bwca:[/b][/h3]
[b]Diplomatic Actions:[/b] A failed attempt to broker peace between Tushina and a Hobgoblin minor took place. The government is preparing for possible escalation; the failure is being blamed on the poor diplomatic skills of the Tushina representative to avoid any offence to the Hobgoblin minor.
[b]Military Actions:[/b] Generals and admirals are antsy about a possible escalation. The navy is preparing for a possible invasion, while the army has begun drilling on rocky terrain.
Economic  Actions: All shipping passing through the Green Strait must submit to a cargo check. Failure to comply may result in the ship and it's cargo being seized or even sunk, optionally with the crew still onboard.
Research: Political scientists note a growing school of thought among intellectuals concerning the position of the government in the welfare of its people. This school of thought appears to combine Agrarian support for artisans and peasants with Liberal ideas about the natural rights of all intelligent creatures, but it is seperate enough to be distinct.
[b]National Construction:[/b] A bill calling for the construction of a water gate across the Green Strait was proposed in the Ty by tribal chieftains, however, it failed to pass.

[b]Bwca Roll Results:[/b]
[b]Preparation for Defensive War:[/b] 17 - Great Success
[b]Cargo Inspections:[/b] 4 - Goes Poorly
[b]Intrigue: 20[/b] - Critical Success
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[h3][b]Steel Legion:[/b][/h3]
[b]Diplomatic Actions:[/b] The Steel Legion is a vassal of Arcana and is participating in its war of conquest
[b]Military Actions:[/b] The Steel Legion is sieging Drakon with the Arcanan army
[b]Economic  Actions:[/b] Shifting to war production, making steel weapons and armor
[b]National Construction:[/b] Infrastucture construction at the capitol of the Steel Legion.

[b]Steel Legion Roll Results:[/b]
[b]Military Action:[/b] 10
[b]Economic Action:[/b] 9 - Neither successful or unsuccessful, little progress made
[b]National Construction:[/b] 15 - Moderate Success
[b]Intrigue:[/b] 11 - Moderate Success
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[h3][b]Imasicia:[/b][/h3]
[b]Diplo:[/b] The king hosts an envoy from the Alliner government in exile
[b]Military:[/b] Imasicia begins a recruitment drive to fill in the legions lost
[b]Economic: [/b]Imasician traders continue to foster mutual growth among Arcana and Drakon
[b]Construction: [/b]Urbe Salis builds new luxury residence to foster its growing gentry class
[b]Research: [/b]The College of Magic continues to press the limits of what may be done with magic

[b]Imasicia Roll Results:[/b]
[b]Recruitment:[/b] 11 - Moderate Success
[b]Magical Research:[/b] 9 - Neither successful or unsuccessful, little progress made
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[h3][b]Sanghara:[/b][/h3]
[b]Diplomatic Actions: [/b]The final struggles of the sixth century war have finally come to an end. With the Great Armistice of Tel-Belit, Surabhumi and Sanghara have finally entered a period of tentative peace. Now Sanghara reaches out to other lands and peoples, such as the Usharid Caliphate and Arcana, in order to find new allies in this new period of change. Embassies have been sent to both to secure both trade deals and potential alliances among these mighty states, joined by explorers and merchants, to bring fresh knowledge upon the state of the world back to the land of the Golden Serpent Banner. The Sangharan-Surabhumi Cold War has begun.
Military Actions: With the great fleets now no longer patrolling Surabhi waters, the Dakathan Senate has at last turned its eyes outward from the twin matters of economics and the blockade of Surabhumi. With Sanghara now no longer tied to the Ebon Sea, many Dakatha now call for a ‘Republican Reconquest’ of rogue states that have rebelled and declared themselves independent of Republican rule. All eyes have turned to Tsang-Mah and the island city-states around Sanghara, who desperately scrabble to secure their borders for what they know to be coming. The standing army, long left to garrison duty and patrol of the frontier has begun to be retrained and reorganised under vigorous and ambitious Dakathan Senators, such as Amra El-Haddun and Shadam Baal-Hannon, who aim to restore the Republic to its once serene and imperial glory. Overall, Sanghara sees the regrouping, organisation, de-nepotization and redevelopment of its armed forces. Stagnation is now no longer an option, the Banner of the Golden Serpent must fly triumphant again upon Southern Venhdathaya and the Indaskian Sea.
Economic  Actions: With many new fleets freed from military service, Sanghara has begun to clamp down on the innumerable pirates that have flourished within its sphere of influence, and ships going north and west now see heavier escorts than ever before. A general pardon has been offered in the Senate for any pirates who desire it, so long as they in turn become the hunters of their one-time brethren.

Elsewhere in the senate, the ‘Empire of the Isles’ faction continues to lobby for the colonisation of many uninhabited isles upon the Indaskian Sea, and the establishment of tributary states among those that do, bringing in fresh commerce and exotic goods into the Sangharan fold once again. This faction sees heavy support from the miners and smiths dynasties, who are troubled by the decreased output of tin mines upon the Sangharan main, and fear they run dry. If they do, Sanghara will not be able to produce Belitan Bronze, and will be rendered vulnerable in war. Eyes now turn with interest to beyond the Ebon sea, for Tsang-Mah has known if modest reserves of tin, ready for the smithing amidst its brooding inhospitable mounts. Rumours further abound of a string of great islands beyond the Indaskian sea that hold tin in plenty, and although few give credit to such fanciful tales, explorers have now begun to range far and wide in search of such reserves... 
[b]Research: [/b]Sanghara as part of its military redevelopment begins work on creating organised  mobile smithworks that can be transported and unpacked on the march.
[b]National Construction:[/b] With hundreds of ships-of-war freed from the blockade, Sanghara begins to expand their merchant fleets in order to take advantage of the easing of its military tensions. Elsewhere, the ‘Empire of the Isles’ begins to construct colonisation fleets in order to begin the process of expanding Sanghar predominance across the Indaskian Sea.

[b]Sangharan Roll Results:[/b]
[b]Reorganisation of the military:[/b] 14 - Moderate Success
[b]Pirate Pardon:[/b] 20 - Critical Success
[b]Exploration of the Indaskian:[/b] 13 - Moderate Success
[b]Research:[/b] 6 - Neither successful or unsuccessful, little progress made
[b]Merchant fleet and colony ship construction:[/b] 12 - Moderate Success
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[h3][b]Surabhumi: [/b][/h3]
[b]Diplomatic Actions: [/b]Surabhumi sends diplomats to Arqantay and other neighbors to the north and east, requesting a non-aggression pact while they prepare for the annexation of the western territories.
[b]Military Actions: [/b]The Ministry of War sends out the call to arms to all registered draftees. The vast armies of Surabhumi will mobilize for the expeditions to the west, seeking to re-establish their control over Kakatuyu and seize the territories of Ditadisha permitting passage through the mountains bisecting Vehndathaya. Armies are being readied for a punitive expedition to Imasicia if the Imasicians do not comply with the Surabhuma demand for Masinissa. Preparation begins for a two-pronged invasion of Odhisa from the north and the west. With the transfer of the blueprints to Sangharan warships, feverish construction of a new Surabhuma fleet begins inland, away from prying eyes. 
[b]Economic  Actions:[/b] Ministry of Finance begins negotiations with the Sangharan and Arqantayan merchants for the establishment of formal trade routes. New banknotes will be printed in celebration of the Sangharan-Surabhuma ceasefire.
[b]Construction: [/b]The construction of new and expanded port facilities will begin on the Surabhuma coast. Vast funds will be poured into the expedited development of the coastal regions in general, many having long been left almost unpopulated in the face of Sangharan raids. 

[b]Surabhumi Rolls Results:[/b]
[b]Mobilization: [/b]14 - Moderate Success
[b]Construction of New Fleet:[/b] 1 - Critical Failure
[b]Construction of new ports:[/b] 14 - Moderate Success
[b]Intrigue 1[/b] 19 - Great Success
[b]Intrigue 2[/b] 7 - Neither successful or unsuccessful, little progress made
[b]Research:[/b] 18 - Great Success
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[h3][b]Usharids:[/b][/h3]
[b]Diplomatic Actions:[/b] Send envoys to Perishem and Mihajla to build stronger ties and foster more trade. Secure marriage too, the Sultan got two granddaughters of age and a relatively young widowed son. Send envoys to 
[b]Military Actions:[/b] Drill the troops. 
[b]Economic Actions:[/b] Seek more trade with our neighbors and develop our own industry/economy with public work projects
[b]Research:[/b] Try to improve our understanding of magic by a little bit more
[b]National Construction:[/b] Fortify the border with Arqantay

[b]Usharid Roll Results:[/b]
[b]Diplomatic Actions:[/b] 18 - Great Success
[b]Economic Actions:[/b] 13 - Moderate Success
[b]Research: 20[/b] - Critical Success
[b]Construction:[/b] 17 - Great Success
[b]Intrigue:[/b] 1 - Critical Failure